Serena Williams
Serena Williams won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, the most of any player in the Open era, and spent 319 weeks at world No. 1 including a 186-week run that equalled Steffi Graf’s record. She won 73 singles titles, four Olympic golds, and 14 Grand Slam doubles titles alongside her sister Venus.
She stepped away from the sport after the 2022 US Open, then returned in 2026. She played the Wimbledon singles on a wildcard at 44, losing a three-set match to Maya Joint on Centre Court, and partnered Venus in the doubles more than two decades after they first won the title together.
Player Profile
| Full name | Serena Jameka Williams |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | 26 September 1981 |
| Birthplace | Saginaw, Michigan, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Turned pro | 1995 |
| Grand Slam singles titles | 23 |
| Grand Slam doubles titles | 14 (all with Venus Williams) |
| Weeks at No. 1 | 319 (186 consecutive) |
| Olympic golds | 4 |
Career Form & Notable Results
| Wimbledon 2026 | First round — returned to Grand Slam singles on a wildcard at 44, losing to Maya Joint 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-3 on Centre Court |
|---|---|
| US Open 2022 | Third round — the match after which she stepped away from the sport, before her 2026 return |
| Australian Open 2017 | Championher 23rd Grand Slam title, beating Venus in the final |
| Wimbledon 2016 | Championequalled Steffi Graf on 22 majors |
| US Open 1999 | Championher first Grand Slam title, at 17 |
Playing Style & Strengths
The serve was the foundation and remains the best the women's game has seen: disguised, hit at speeds that would be respectable on the men's tour, and reliable enough under pressure that she routinely served her way out of trouble in third sets. It gave her free points at moments when opponents had none.
Behind it was a return that took the same aggression in the other direction, and a competitive temperament that turned tight matches into a different contest entirely. She won majors as a teenager and won them at 35, adapting a power game to a body that changed across a quarter of a century, which is a harder achievement than the raw title count suggests.